Eyes of An Autumn
by Mfrom beyond
Summary: Who was Kurda's first assistant? And what made Kurda begin a friend with vampanezes? A little story of a beautiful peacemaker's and a vampire traitor's,  Kurda Smahlt's past.
1. Café

_Hey, I'm like new writer here. :) This's my first submitting story. I started writing it in 2007, straightly in English - which isn't my mother tongue - and which was frankly speaking a little mistake, because writing another language is always different than writing your own. The last chapters ever since from chapter 4 are much better because they're written in my mother tongue, Finnish, first before translating. Thanks for my friends DaniaShan and John-E who helped me to correct those silly mistakes of spelling. And yeaa... The story is still under working, right now I'm writing chapter 6 in Finnish._

_Hope you enjoy very muches_

_Mina  
_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Café**

I don't feel cold anymore. My hands are numb - and so is my face. I see shadows around me. Strange shadows and endless, cruel darkness. Despair and sorrow harassing me all the time. I'm almost disoriented - I only know where I am; somewhere in the vampire mountain. Waiting for my punishment - or death.  
I close my eyes and feel my head relax. Then I start to think aboutwhat I have done and what has happened to me. Failure - that's the first thing in my mind - but that's not the reason why I feel tears in my eyes. Failing was the thing that made me remember one good friend. No, he wasn't my supporter. He was innocent - and faithful. This friend said to me once, with his soft voice:

"Why are you doing this, Kurda? I don't believe that your actions make the clan any better. Can't you see... It only does damage to you. This is unnecessary. They will only call you a traitor after all."

But I didn't listen to him. I completely trusted my plan. That's why I'm crying now.

"Oh sorry, I didn't notice you!" The young man said to me. I had an understanding smile on my face. Why was he apologizing? Because he collide me? That's possible.

It was the first time I met him. It was when I was going out of the café - I was already going out the door, and at the same time he came in. I was younger than I am now. I had big dreams about being a vampire prince and entering the clan into alliance with the vampaneze - as called _the enemies of an vampires_. But at that time, these things was just big dreams, and I was just a common young vampire among the others. I didn't have three little scars on my cheek as I have now. Nobody cursed me as now. I was not a traitor as I am now. I just need to say, that those times may have been the best time of my life. I was wasting my time without any worry: visiting new cities, meeting new people - few of them were vampires - and learning new languages.  
I was in London. Trees were glowing with beautiful autumn tints. Air was fresh and cool. It was a little, peaceful London lane. I loved that place. I met interesting people there. But that man I met was different - not in bad way.

"Don't worry. It's okay", I said smiling. He looked at me and smiled bac nervously. I retreated back inside the café. To my surprise the young ma followed me. Perhaps he wants to talk to me? I asked to myself. He had ochre colored, blond hair and a little shy smile on his lips. I sawhis autumn brown eyes. He had _the eyes of autumn_. His smile was different, even if he looked happy, I saw sore sadness through it. Maybe he was one of the unlucky - poor - people. If it was so, I had met guys like him before.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, mister..." He called me mister!

"Kurda Smahlt. Nice to meet you too", I answered and gave my hand. He shook it.

"Louis... Louis Audsley." I sat down at the little table. The man, who introduced himself Louis, watched me closely when he sat down beside me.

"So", I started while he was studying me, "What is a man like you doing here in the middle of the night?" Louis smiled at my question.

"You know, I'm a medical student. The lessons are long and they last into the night. On my way home, I always stop here for a moment and drink a cup - or two - coffee."

"Intending to be a doctor, huh? That sounds great." I was surprised.

"Really? This's serious work, but I think that people respect it. And yes, I want to be a doctor. But still I have long way to go, and much to learn."

"That's true", I agreed, "I think your parents are proud of you."

After what I said, I felt the first quiet moment. The younger man fingered his lower lip and watched the wooden table. When I started to ask, did I say something wrong, he nodded to my words and whispered:

"Yeah, they would be."

"Would be?" I asked to him quietly, then I started to realize, what he meant.

"My... My family is dead. Mom, dad, brother... Everyone", Louis answered to me and I saw, how the words had hurt him.

"Forgive me."

"It's okay, really..."

"No, it is not. Blame me."

"About what?"

"Uh..."

"Do you know what, Kurda?" I heard Louis asking softly. Then I raised my eyes towards him.

"Wh - what?"

"You're like my big brother..." Louis smiled warmly after his words, "Do you want to talk with this poor orphan child still? Hey, do you like coffee?"

For a moment, I looked at man's brown colored eyes and then, I smiled back when I answered:  
"Of course, Louis. I do like coffee."


	2. Chance In The Night

**Chapter 2 - Chance in the Night**

**  
**

_"Hey. We're friends."_

I listened to the pouring rain on the paved stones. What a beautiful, restful sound. Through the rain I saw the pale light of the streetlights. I tightened the hold of the red umbrella.

A couple days after meeting this kind man, Louis Audsley, in the café could call him a friend. Disturbing thing about him was it that he didn't know that I was a vampire; he called me usually in the daytime, when he didn't study. One weekend he even tried to visit my apartment - I don't know how did he find out where I lived - because I hadn't answered his calls. He was worried about me. That day I noticed how lonely Louis was - I wouldn't be surprised if I was his only friend. And in that day I started to think could I be a good mentor and how it would feel to have the responsibility of someone else. I had decided, that I'd tell the truth about myself to my friend - to Louis.

I saw the open gates of a big building in front of me. Something like college that building was. Louis was studying there. I glanced at my pocket watch._  
It's almost eleven. His lesson is ending._ I thought to myself when I put the watch back into my coat pocket. After a moment I saw some people coming out of the building. I searched the man, who could be Louis, but I didn't find anyone. I just noticed how many people were dark haired.  
For a moment, I just waited for my friend, but then I started to get worried when most of the people had gone. I walked through the gates and stopped still in front of the two doors, which lead into the building. I felt a bit doubtful, when I opened the door and entered to the college building. But then, in a moment, the doubtful feeling was gone, when I heard someone screaming.

"What are you guys doing here?" I heard someone - maybe some of the teachers - yell from further away. Then I ran to the door of the boys bathroom - where I had heard the screaming coming from - and opened it.  
First I saw a bald-headed man's back and then someone behind him. A younger man's back was against the wall.

"What the - Your friend, huh?" The older man said. He was dressed in a black jacket.

"Uch." When I had heard the other man's voice, I knew who it was.

"Louis! What is he doing?" I shouted. And what an idiot I was.

I got silent when I saw the man in a jacket holding a knife in his hand. He pressed the knife against Louis' throat.

"I - I'd need some help", Louis whispered with fear, "P - Please, Kurda."

"Umh", I mumbled._  
_

_ Am I supposed to do something brave and daring now?_ I asked myself - but then I got an idea.  
Suddenly the knife was in my hand. The bald man made a confused sound when he turned around to see me. Thank to the vampire gods, those who have blessed us with a skill called flitting...

"How dare you play tricks on me." He growled angrily, "Give my knife back, bastard!"

"You think I'm going to do that?" I asked and made a sweet smile, when I rolled the knife in my hand.

"Well, well... I think this young man is going to prison", a deep voice frightened me and I looked over my shoulder.  
A police. I felt shiver on my upper body. The polices didn't scare me anyhow, but that roundish guy creeped me out!

"Thank you for helping us to catch this young criminal, Mister Smahlt." I really would liked to know how he knew my name.

"Eh. my pleasure", I smiled a sheepish smile, when I watched two police officers take the man in the jacket out of the bathroom. With the fat police officer was slender man wearing glasses. What a pair.  
On the outside the spectacled man asked Louis' phone number for the later questioning. When the police officers had bundled off, Louis turned to me.

"Thanks, Kurda." His voice sounded to be relieved.

"You're welcome, mate", I answered smiling. But Louis didn't smile.

Suddenly he watched me, a serious expression on his face and mentioned then:

"You know, I've been worried about you. It seems you're not living in the daytime at all!"

"Oh yes? I should be worried about you." I muttered to his words,

"Do you know why that man tried to cut you?"

"Umm..."

"Is someone teasing you, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe, but it doesn't matter, anymore", Louis said quietly to me while I watched him.

"What do you mean, Louis?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter..." He repeated in a whisper.  
While I was opening the red umbrella I heard Louis taking a shaking breath.

"So what are you trying to say?" I asked, but then I pulled up shortly when I saw my friend bursting into silent tears.

"Louis?"  
No answer.

"Hey, Lou. I think you need just some rest", I said, carefully. Louis wiped his eyes when I continued softly:

"Everything will be fine. Maybe you just suffer from the stress or… something."

"'I just suffer from the stress?'" He asked to me with the weak voice - but I heard a smile on it - when I walked along the rainy road with him.

"You're funny." No, I was a bit puzzled just then.

"Huh?" Louis laughed to my reaction.

"You really are."

"Well. I didn't know that." I pointed out smiling a bit - without knowing  
what he meant - but in any case I was happy, that I could make him smile.

"Kurda?" I heard Louis asking in a little while.

"Yeah?"

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?" After his question I  
remembered why I had wanted to meet him, and nodded.

"Yes, there was. Could we go to your home? I don't really like to get wet in  
the rain."

"You're right. I could make some coffee there."  
His coffee was the best that I had ever tasted, by the way.

It didn't take a long time to walk to his house. It was a gentle little house in outskirts of the city. I hadn't seen it before. The house had a smoke pipe and a little garden in the yard. A wooden fence surrounde the house. All in all, the place looked a bit poor. But it was cozy. Well, I didn't mention anything about the poverty to Louis, I just said that I liked the place. I don't know if he believed me, although I spoke true.

Modesty was one of Louis's good sides. I learned more from him than he learned from me, I think. Loyalty, solidarity, bravery - he had all the characteristics that a vampire could have - and he wasn't even a vampire yet!

Inside the house Louis started to make a pot of coffee for us. I just sat down on the sofa and took a little pillow in my arms. I listened the sound of falling rain in the silence. At the same time I heard sound of a coffee pot from the kitchen. In a little while Louis came to living room and put two cups down to a sidetable.

"Here you go", he said. Then, he gave me a look and sat down.

"Why the thoughtful expression?" Louis asked me. I could feel my head hanging down. When I tried to think how to tell it to my friend - I felt a lack of words. I couldn't just say that: 'I'm a vampire - that's what I wanted to tell'. He wouldn't believe me. Suddenly I didn't think that telling the truth would be very good idea at all anymore.

Then I woke from my thoughts, when Louis gave the coffee cup to me and watched me a little smile on his lips. The smile told me that he knew. He knew, that something was wrong with me. Well, wrong isn't the right word, but...

"You said you wanted to talk about something", he said.

"I did", I agreed mumbling.

"So what was it?"

"Umh..."

"Kurda!" Louis laughed. "Don't make me guess."

_That's the whole problem_, I thought to myself, _you couldn't have any  
possibility to guess right._

"Hey. We're friends. You can tell anything to me, Kurda."

"You think so?" I asked quietly and Louis nodded, a childish smile on his face - like a boy, who wanted to open his big Christmas present.

"Well", I started and closed my eyes,

"Do you believe in creatures that live at night?"

Louis stared me opened his mouth a little before he answered:

"Owls lives at night..." I laughed.

"No. I don't mean animals."

"Aliens?" He asked.

"No."

"What, then?"

"I mean vampires." A long pause - that was out looked - then Louis said quietly:

"Vampires... So, you want to drink my blood, don't you?" He was smarter than I thought. Though I didn't want to feed from him.

"Not yours. You're my friend, remember?" Louis nodded to my words and watched me closely. Then, a warm smile appeared to his face.

"That explains why you sleep at day!" He said smiling gladly.

"I knew there was something different about you!"

"Yeah", I smiled a bit._ Different_ was the right word. You can't imagine, how relieved I was about his reaction. Then I continued:

"Well, yesterday I thought about your words - "

"Yes, I remember", Louis muttered. He had said that he couldn't stand the normal life anymore, and soon, he'd jump off a bridge. He wasn't joking.

"So I thought that you need another chance", I said. Louis looked me a moment, with his autumn colored eyes, and asked then quietly, the tone of hope in his voice:

"And you think you could give it?"

"Yes. I do."


	3. The Blooding

**Chapter 3 - The Blooding**

_"So I thought that you needed another chance."  
"And you think you could give it?"  
"Yes. I do."_

On that night Louis was very curious. He asked all kinds of questions about vampires; if really sleep during the day, why they need blood to survive, are they lonely, why I don't have red eyes, where are my fangs - everything! I almost got tired of his questions, but I answered them all and explained when he asked why, and looked at me with a confused expression on his face.

_You could be a great vampire, Louis_, I said to myself but, of course, my friend couldn't hear me. I didn't dare to say it aloud.

"You're saying that vampires are kind, right?" Louis asked,

"They drink blood only then when they have to?"

"Well, yes", I nodded, "but I wouldn't say kind. Many of them are good, but everyone just follow the rules."

"Rules? Do you have laws in the vampire mountain?" Yes, he knew about vampire mountain, too.

"Not quite laws. Just rules, you know."

"Are there some leaders?"

"Yes, there are. Vampire princes. They are like... presidents."

"Oh, okay." Louis said and started to finger his lower lip - like he was considering something. I watched him and waited for his next question but then - to my surprise - he raised his head towards me - hesitated a while - but asked then quietly:

"What do you think, Kurda, could _I_ be a good vampire?" We really were on the same wavelength. First, I didn't know what to say, but then I smiled warmly and said:

"Of course, you could be a good vampire." Louis smiled, when I continued:

"You would be better vampire than I am. You bet it." I was right. Too right...

"So, how you do the blooding thing? Will you be my mentor, won't you?"

"Yes. Just listen to the teacher." I said and raised my hands to show little scars on my fingertips.

"See? Almost every vampire is blooded like this. We have to press our fingers facing each other. Then the vampire blood - mine - flows to your veins and your human blood goes to my arteries." Louis nodded after my words and bite his lip.

"Um. Does it hurt?"

"A bit - yes - but don't worry. You won't die."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." I countenanced him.  
Louis watched me a moment and smiled then a little bravely.

"I must tell you something before we start", I said when I get up and sat then on the floor. Louis followed me and sat down to the warm red carpet.

Blooding was easier to do on some firm place. Not on a place like a sofa. If something fails, it's hard to repair the things that turned out badly. It's possible, but difficult - and painful. It's easier to avoid the risks than suffer from mistakes.

"First you will be only a half-vampire. Sun doesn't harm you. You don't have to drink the blood as much as I have to. You are not as strong as I am. Got it?"

"Yes. But -"

"And when you are a vampire, you can't have a family. You can't have children."

"What? Not even in theory?"

"No. Not even in theory. Vampires are lonely." After my words, I studied my friend. He wasn't very sure what to do.

"Remember, you can still retreat if you want. I can't force you to do anything."

"Yeah", he mumbled.

"This is a big decide, Lou. You'll leave your other life behind if you do this."

"I know", Louis answered.

For him, it was hard to decide, if he would he live in darkness, or under the sun. I understood him and contented to wait. After a moment Louis slid his finger on his lower lip and said:

"I don't think that I'm going to regret this." His voice was calm and sure of his words. He closed his eyes - thoughtfully.  
I loved the way he never made a fuss. After his words Louis just raised his hands and said:

"I want to be a vampire, Kurda. I've seen the colors of this life", he shook his head a bit - eyes closed,

"I don't like them." I nodded, raised my hands to his fingers, and pressed my dark nails to the soft skin to make a cuts.

"Remember, Lou, vampires' life is not rosy. It's not having fun - it's surviving. And for some kinds of people it has nothing to do with living - for them, it's just fading in the doom", I remarked when I was opening my scars.

"I am not going to retreat", Louis said seriously. And that was what I wanted to hear.

"All right then." When I was ready, Louis pressed his bloody fingers against mine. I felt something hot running in my veins. A vampire blood run out, and the human blood getting inside.The blooding had begun.

Even if the human blood comes to the blood vessel of a full-blooded vampire, the vampire doesn't change into a half-blooded vampire, because the human blood is too weak to do that, unlike the vampire blood, which is strong - as a bitter citric acid compared with the water. That's one of the things that a mentor has to teach to his assistant. Many of them are about blood; what blood is poisonous to a vampire, how often and how much are you agreed to drink blood - and so on.

During the blooding Louis fainted - however, the blooding succeed - and after it, I cleaned our scars and the blood, which had dropped to the floor and to the red carpet. I carried the unconscious Louis to a sofa, laid his head on the pillow to rest and tucked him up with a blanket - he seemed to be cold.  
Pale moonlight shone inside from a window when I quietly stepped into a kitchen. I smiled a bit and walked in front of the lattice window to watchthe stars on the deep blue night sky. Soon I found the big dipper and then the North Star from the constellation. That night was beautiful. A few water drops dropped from light gray clouds. On the outside the wind twiddled withthe orange and brown leafs. It looked like the leaves were dancing in a slow rhythm.  
The peep of day was near. I saw how the red downs of the sunrise loomed between the other houses and orange colored trees._  
Sun is rising already_, I thought then the smile disappeared from my face, _What can I do now? Stay here? That's not very grand plan but… I have Louis now. He is my assistant._  
When I had closed the curtains of the window I turned around andlooked into the fridge.  
_He could make sure that I - we - are safe until the dusk comes._  
I took a can of blackcurrant juice from the fridge and poured it to the two glasses. Juice tasted like iron. I glanced the can. No, it wasn't out-of-date. My vampire instincts were just playing tricks on me. I grinned a bit.  
_Blackcurrant has much iron. Louis could need that now_, I thought.  
Then, I took the glasses with me and I went back to lounge, when I stepped close to the sofa I heard Louis whispering:

"I didn't mean to follow you, brother. Forgive me, Cyrus. Forgive me..."

He was asleep.


	4. Vampire Hunters in Santa Monica

**Chapter 4 - Vampire hunters in Santa Monica**

_More than six months had passed since Louis got blooded. He hadn't talked to me about Cyrus _–– _his brother _–– _after his dream, and I thought it was better not ask him anything. I had the feeling that his brother were a vampire, just like me. But this feeling disappeared soon, because I had much more important things to think about._

_Louis was a good, obedient assistant and he learnt quickly all the customs and the traditions of the vampires. Most of all, he was good at mingling with the other people, in the night of the city. He didn't need to train in that - it came him natural._

_On the other hand, in some things he was hopeless: for example, at drinking blood. He didn't even want to touch the animals! He only feed from birds, and he felt always sorry for them._

The autumn were begun, and the air were cold like usually at this time of the year. It was rainy and dark, what was a good thing for someone like me and Louis. We used to walk around the city at night. Though, we weren't in New York anymore. There were too dangerous for just blooded half-vampire like Louis. Too much people, and too many cops. So, we moved to a smaller city, called Santa Monica. The streets were small and it was usually quiet outside, at night. I saw a lot of people there: poor, old beggars in the corners of the streets, who were warming up in front of many burning dustbins. Many others stayed in the dark sides of the streets, (it was easy telling them apart from the beggars), and there was also plenty of even prostitutes who were selling themselves near the buildings.

The downtown of Santa Monica was something like that: dark – in the true sense of the word – and also in a figurative way. It wasn't the best place where staying, but it was without doubt the safest for an half-vampire who is learning the life-style of we vampires, and who didn't want to drink blood at all. Among those I had thought about, it was the best, and the safest. And our safety was the most important thing now: I didn't want to lose my first assistant only because I had preferred a comfortable city instead of another safer.

One rainy evening I walked with Louis on the side of the little street. That day he was in a really thoughtful mood and he had asked me all kinds of things. Now he had become quiet since a little time, so I thought that he had no more questions. At the same time the rain poured peacefully all around us. The street was desert. Beside it the buildings looked higher than usual in the city of Santa Monica. I didn't wonder why there weren't people of the underworld - no beggars, no prostitutes. Obviously they preferred not to stay in front of the hotells and other rich buildings, and they were away from them. Suddenly, I woke up, noticing that Louis was rising his head (that before was hanging) beside me. I noticed also that he was looking at me with his autumn coloured eyes.

"Kurda?"

"Yes?" I answered.

"I was just thinking... Does vampires have any different clans?" His expression was full of curiosity and, for a moment, I thought what was better answering him. I nodded leisurely. And before I could even add anything else, he reached to ask:

"What kind of clans? What clan do you belong?"

"Yes, we have some clans... But there are only two", I noticed how Louis looked absorbed when he listened to me, and I continued calmly, "The clan of vampires, and the clan of vampaneze."

"I think you can quess which one I belong!" I added giving a blinking.

"What are vampanezes, then?" He asked.

"They are... dissidents", I glanced Louis's innocent expression when I continued, "they are a group of vampires – they're not vampires anymore – who weren't satisfied to our rules. And, long ago, they created their own rules."

Louis walked quietly for a moment and then, he asked with a obtuse voice:

"Are they bad?" His eyes peered me again, but a moment after, not anymore, and he continued, "I mean... Are they beasts?" My thoughts wandered about. I thought, if I told the rough truth to Louis about vampaneze, he wouldn't support my idea of joining the clans together, but if I told the truth in a different light, he wouldn't get a wrong idea of vampaneze...

"Eh? Beasts?" I asked and smiled warmly, "I... I don't know."

"What you mean by... _you don't know_?"

"Are all dissidents bad?"

"It depends on what thing they disagree with." Louis put the bone to my throat even if he didn't notice it himself. He was a master on that.

"Well, they..." I got silent when I noticed that a gloomy person was walking near us in the street. I glanced him - to make sure that he didn't hear me - and I was just about to turn to Louis to answer him, when I heard his whisper, with a hollow tone:

"I want to go away from here Kurda."

"Why?" I asked, and looked at Louis then. I noticed how he stared after the gloomy person. His face had turned to white.

"He..."

"Louis..?"

"He..." I was worried about Louis and startled when he suddenly glanced at me, and he said, with a fear in his voice:

"I smell the odour of blood around that man."

"It was so strong... I want go away, Kurda. I'm sure that he has killed someone. Or –– who knows! –– some people. And now he has just disappeared in the darkness... What if he's after us? What if he is going to kill us?" Louis's voice was slowly turning into a whisper. I stopped and I looked after the person, who has just passed us, and I wondered, why didn't I smell that smell.

"Are you sure?"

"No", Louis mumbled. He looked around, and I could feel his agony.

"You haven't drunk blood for a long time. Maybe your insticts are just playing tricks on you?"

"I think not."

"I can't smell anything..."

"You were further than me from him, maybe that's why you didn't smell anything. He walked very near the side of mine. I think that..."

As I know, Louis he wasn't afraid if it wasn't necessary, and that time I felt the same uncomfortable feeling that I heard in his voice. He was visibly anguished. The rain had made wet his honey coloured hair and also the locks that hanged on his pale face when he glanced around.

"Louis", I whispered to attract his attention. He looked at me. "If he follows us now, we shouldn't look like that we have noticed his intentions. Let's continue walking to the next crossing and then let's think what's the better doing." Louis bite his lip but nodded and whispered to me back:

"Okay." He walked after me with a prompt steps and fumbled for the hem of my sleeve like he would need somewhere to hold on to - or rather he was only too scared.

"Louis." I hissed. He looked at me, nodded nervously, and sighed trying to relax.

We arrived to the crossing. I noticed that the rain had become heavier than before. It were really misty. _Not good...not good_... I thought, _not at all_... I felt somebody pulling the hem of my sleeve.

"Kurda, what we do now?" Louis's voice whispered. I looked on the left and then on the right. Suddenly, I heard that Louis was taking a breath. He looked so white under the soft lights...

"Another." He stood, there, in a dark street on the right. It looked like the human were only a shadow. He was still staying there, and he was watching us like we didn't even notice him. Then, he started to walk. At the same time I grasped tightly Louis's arm and I started to run towards the street in front of us, away from the man who had started to run after us.

The street was dark and misty. The rain fell on our heads. It was going to rain heavier than before. It made the running really hard. I hardly saw where we were running to – and Louis hardly could stay after me. The street met to a little lane, where probably our flight might end. It would be a blind alley. For our bad luck I was right; I stared dustbins and the big wall in the end of the alley. Above the wall there was a rail and behind there was something similar to parking area. Louis made a panicing squeak.

"This can't be true!" I murmured on the verge of despair.

"Are they following us yet?" Louis whispered. I shake my head and looked at the beginning of the road.

"I have no idea. At least I can't see anybody... even if I'm a... you know."

"...not yet." He added whispering. Louis bite his lip again. I glanced him and tried to find a come out from the situation.  
_Poor us_... _I swear that they are _– it was a horrible thought for me – _vampire hunters._ Our situation seemed to be desperate. I heard how the running steps got nearer and nearer... There were three humans – no, not humans; vampire hunters – or more!

"Hey! What are you doing? Laying eggs down there? Come here before the hunters see you!"

Both of us shocked the voice that came from straight above us. The voice continued when I looked up, trying to discover who was speaking, "Come on! Quickly!"

I noticed the messy-haired man, who look down on us and beckoned us. I glanced Louis. His expression changed from frightened to relieved and I almost could see his smile again. I jumped on the dustbin and he followed after me. I grasped the case of the window and, suddenly, I heard echoing shots from further.

"Dammit." Unknown man pulled us inside from the window. Shots silenced. Runsteps. They were under the window...


	5. Red eyed Friend

**Chapter 5 - Red-eyed friend**

_I jumped on the dustbin and Louis did the same. I grasped the window and, suddenly, I heard echoing shots from further.  
"Damn it!" The unknown man pulled us inside from the window. The shots silenced. Footsteps.  
They were under the window..._

We were crouched down. The unknown man adviced us silently to lay agaist the wall, that the vampire hunters wouldn't notice us. We followed his advice.

For a moment - and another - we only waited. It was silent. The messy-haired man was motionless - and so were we. Everyone listened carefully, to notice each possible noise, until we heard someone saying in the street loudly:

"We mustn't let those vampires escape in the next time." I heard how the given up vampire hunters had started to leave. Louis looked curiously at the older man, but I didn't dare to make any movement before the street had quieten down compeletely. The third man didn't make a single move either.

After a little while, I noticed that he was stirring up. He leaned away from the wall, but didn't rise up. He looked at us in the dark, and I noticed, that his hair was merely red, his iris and... lips? It seemed that his lips were full of blood-red cuts. The sight gave me cold shivers. His skin was also very different; it looked dark in the dusk, but I could see a purple nuance on it. But that tone wasn't strong. A couple of vampaneze's clean-cut eyes looked at us. There were a dark scar going near his other eye.

"Hey... You must be one of those others." The man said quietly. I heard a little surprised tone in his voice.

"Humans' friends."

"Yes... We are vampires", I answered him in a whisper, and I looked at the vampaneze carefully. He leaned towards me, seeking for safety, and I sensed his fear once again.

"And you're a vampaneze, aren't you?"

"Is it so visible?" The man asked and his voice sounded frightened, but then he laughed in a romp and nodded.

"You're right!"

"Your friend seems to fear me." He said unexpectedly while he looked curiously at Louis. I had a strange feeling, I'd have liked to go between him and Louis - just in a case of danger - but I couldn't.

"What's your name, kid?"

Louis opened his mouth to answer, but he silenced in confusion.

"Eh ?"

"His name is Louis, and he's over eighteen years old soon", I answered instead of Louis.

"For me he's still a kid." The Vampaneze smiled to us apologeticly, "And even a half-blooded! Poor boy! He has just started to discover this world of darkness..."

He shook his head: he looked very gloomy.

"You can call me simply Vyente. Otherwise I could have already ejected you two away from here a long time ago, but now a different situation. I heard your desperate squeaks under the window, and I thought, that I shouldn't leave a beautiful creatures of the night - like you - alone in a trouble." The vampaneze that intoduced himself as Vyente grinned. Louis grinmaced botheredly and he glanced me. I shroughed my shoulders to him.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr Vyente", I said calmly when I rose up. Vyente looked at me with a curious expression on his face and I noticed that he had a faint smile on his red-coloured lips. His eyes were open, but they were far from cute eyes. He wasn't very old, but he wasn't very young either. I imagined that he were over thirty years old in humans' years, but it was hard guessing his real age. However, he was older than me. He had dressed to an brown coat and under it there was a white collar-shirt. He would have looked like human, without his red eyes, lips, and the strange skin colour, of course.

Vyente rose up to close the curtains in front of the broken window, and Louis hurried to me.

"I hope you'll get on here well. Because I have a feeling, that you won't be able to leave very soon", Vyente spoke with a well-worded voice, and he turned to us, "I'm afraid that the vampire hunters won't give up very easily." He quietened his voice worriedly and referred to the sofa in the corner of the room. It was on the red, dusty Persian rug.

"Please. Feel yourself comfortable."

And so we did; Vyente made up a card-game to the floor of the living-room. We relaxed in a circle on the soft Persian tug and played the cards, which rules Vyente didn't accurately know, but he said, that the rules isn't the main point, but it that we had fun.

"I wish I could say same of the real life", Vyente added when he gave me the heart six and heart king. I bringed them down with heart ten and trump. We were with Louis mainly concentrated to listen Vyente's speaking; he didn't have lack of topics. Louis didn't talk as much as I did. He looked tired and wanted to come back to our hotel.

"You're really good on playing cards, Louis", our new friend said when he losed after me. He agglomerated the cards in the middle of the rug.

"Luck of learner", he answered reticently, "It depends on what cards you get."

Vyente made a smile.

"True, true. And I notice, that you have got a good cards when you born to this world." Vampaneze glanced me strangely, nor I didn't understand, what it meant.

"You must be talking about about the world of darkness thing... right?"

"About _this_ world of darkness, kid, _this_. You're there. You're a vampire, Louis."

"Sure. Thanks, Vyente." Louis smiled a bit and I saw how he rose up and stretched his neck.

"Excuse me, but is here any WC:s?" He asked suddenly when he turned to me and the vampaneze.

"Yes, surely", Vyente sneered and pointed the corridor in the end of the living-room, "The first door in the right."

"Thanks", Louis said turning, and walked to the dark corridor with a calm steps. I looked after my assistant thinking, when would it be possible to go back our home. So much as I knew Louis, I had a feeling, that he didn't get along here very well. Louis seemed to fear Vyente because of Vyente's vampanezy. I personally liked him, was he whatever he was. And as I said earlier, he could have been considered as a human.

"What're you thinking so thoughtfully, Kurdy?"

I turned my head to Vyente, and I saw that he had lied down to the rug his hands crossed on his chest.

"I... Eh. Kurdy ?" I groaned confusingly and vampaneze just smiled keeping his eyes closed easily.

"Sounds cute, eh, _Kurdy_?"

"...Whatever." I murmured, laying to the floor like Vyente did.

"I think Louis doesn't like being here", I said quietly.

"I noticed that."

"And, I thought, when we'll be able to come back home again." After my worlds, I didn't hear Vyente's answer, and after a moment I turned round to see him.

"Home?" He asked finally, voice full of wonder.

"Yes. We live temporarily in a hotel of Santa Monica", I explained smiling, "There have to be some place to call a home, even if it wasn't really our home." The vampaneze studied me a moment with his red, clear-cut eyes, till an understanding smile appeared on his face.

"It makes sense", he pointed out, till - after a moment of thinking - he continued:

"I'm not sure about when it's worth to leave here, but I could recommend you two to go through the sewers on underground to your hotel - I'm sure there are some sewers leading you there. It's a good and safe way to travel to place to place. And also; we vampanezes know the serwers of our lockalities like our own pockets. You don't think that with this phiz", he pointed his face grinning, "Could show up in a night among the humans."

"So, I could come to guide you", he suggested when he rose up to sit, "The journey could flow quiker.You would get lost easily in the sewers alone. So, what you think?"

I thought it a moment. Vyente seemed to be knowing what he was doing. He started a bit by bit to receive my trust and I thought, that what bad is about it that a vampaneze helps vampires? At least I didn't see anything wrong on that.

"That sounds great", I answered to him smiling and the smile catched to him too.

Red haired man stood up eagerly and he walked to the drawer in nearby. I watched him curiously and soon he came back with a wine bottle on his other hand and on the other hand he was holding three glasses.

"What're going to do with those?" I asked. Vyente smiled me foolishly when he sat down beside me and put the glasses to the floor.

"They're for drinkig, silly." He opened a cork of the bottle and pured a red trink to glasses.

"I know, but..." I silenced and studied the wine that flowed trickling to the last glass. I licked my lips, and looked at Vyente.

"Indeed. That's not wine."

"Indeed!" Vyente laughed. Then he smiled shaking the bottle, "It's blood."

"Ingenious", I chuckled, till I saw my friend becoming serious.

"First we have to ask Louis, is he ready to get down to the sewers", he glanced the corridor, and then I comprehend, how long Louis had been away. I took a frightened breath.

"He --" My voice sounded breathless. Vyente nodded seriously.

"Exactly. He should have came back already. I was just thinking that too", he said with a deeb voice and his red eyes turned to me, "You should go to check is he allright."

"Oh... Yes..." I whispered incoherrently and I rose up quickly, crawling. I could't believe that I had forgot Louis, and I wished deeply that nothing bad had happened to him. I glanced Vyente once more, and then I started to half-run to the dark corridor. To find the first door in the right.


End file.
